Insulated burial vault



y 5, 1938. M. A. WAGNER 2,122,702

INSULATED BURIAL VAULT Filed May 18, 1937 m 7 I m2%%%% mmmmmm gw INVENTOR. MATH/As A WA GNER.

ATTORNEY Patented July 5,1938

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 3 Claims.

This invention relates to burial vaults of the individual type that are set into the earth so that the ornamental top member is just above the surface.

The above type of vault is being largely employed and has numerous desirable features looking to permanency; but the known art has one weak point, that the top does not provide sufficient insulation to prevent sun heat from penetrating the vault proper.

The object of the present invention is to provide an insulation member that has high insulating value and at the same time possesses moisture absorbent qualities in a superlative degree, bearing in mind that disposal of moisture in the contained air of the vault contributes very markedly to the desired end, for as is well known substantially dry air is a far better insulating medium than humid air.

I accomplish the objects of the invention by an insulating slab that seals the vault proper, below the exposed top member in a manner superior to what has been done heretofore, by the employment of new materials for the purpose, assembled in a new structure.

Drawing accompanies and forms a part of this specification which, taken with the written description, constitutes a complete disclosure of my new vault.

In the drawing,

Fig. I is a longitudinal side elevation, partly in section;

Fig. II is a top, plan view; with the top and seal removed;

Fig. III is a section on the line III-III of Fig. I.

The vault proper, l, is aconcrete box-like memher with an open top and a moulded shelf 2, a short distance below the top. It will be made of well selected materials and completely waterproof according to the known art.

An ornamental top 4, may be cut from granite, marble or other natural stone or it may be made of terrazzo, art marble or other dense non-porous material and styled as desired.

In use, the vault proper will be set into the earth with its top just below the normal surface, the casket will be placed within and the insulating slab, indicated in general by the numeral 6, will be placed within the vault I, to rest on the shelf 2. A dense concrete seal 1, will lock the slab 6, to the vault I; a heavy coat of bitumen 8, will be applied to occupy the position shown in the drawing, to complete the sealing of the vault and particularly to seal the top of the slab 6.

The slab 6 is a slab-like mass of diatomite, of the best obtainable grade and should be dried to not over 6% moisture content by weight. It is tamped loose into the shell-like structure of the slab, before the application of the top member. The shell is composed of a preferably arched bottom 9, a top l0, end walls II and I2, and flanges I5, adapted to rest on the shelf 2. The shell is moulded of a highly porous aggregate mixed with Portland cement and preferably reinforced as by expanded metal at H5. The shell aggregate in its best form is a substance made from a natural Wyoming mineral found in a deposit at Encampment, Wyoming, of essentially silicon, magnesium and aluminates, that has the peculiar property of expanding when burnt so that its weight decreases from about 80 pounds per cubic foot to less than 10 pounds with a corresponding increase in bulk. It is highly porous and has a high insulating value, making it especially suitable for the purpose herein, though a high grade of cinder concrete or other concrete with a porous though strictly mineral aggregate will serve less efficiently. The material is a commercial product known by the trade name of mikolite.

The slab is preferably made by first moulding the side and end slabs like planks, laying the bottom slab in a mould and placing the ends and sides in situ in the soft bottom material. After setting, the inside is filled with diatomite as heretofore described and a comparatively dry mix of the porous cementitious material is applied as the top H]. Making the slab 6 in this manner obviates the necessity of leaving any wooden form material in the slab, which is to be avoided.

Provision of an insulating slab and applying it to a vault in the manner illustrated and described results in a very much improved structure and is believed to completely solve the problem presented but left for solution by previous structures.

In this specification, diatomite is used as an expression indicating diatomaceous earth of high purity, the grade found naturally in the deposits at Terre Bonne, Oregon, being taken as a standard of excellence, though grades of lesser worth will serve in a correspondingly efficient manner.

Having disclosed my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent,

lSZ-- 1. A burial vault comprising a box-like structure with a removable top and an insulating slab positioned on an integral shelf below the top, the said insulating slab being characterized by being constructed of cement concrete made of porous aggregate to form a shell defining an interior space, the said space being filled with dried diatomaceous earth.

2. In a burial vault, a vault member, a top adapted to be sealed thereto and an insulating and moisture absorbing slab positioned within the vault below the top and over the vault portion, a sealing material between the vault structure and the slab, the said slab being characterized by a.

7 porous cement shell defining an interior enci space filled with dried diatomite.

3. An insulation slab for a burial vault of the character described, defined as a generally rectangular prismatic body of absorbent diatomaceous earth material about which is a casting of porous cementitious material comprising a slablike shell that surrounds it on all sides.

. MATHIAS A. WAGNER. 

